I clasp my hands in my lap. “Then what is this about?”
“You’re more than welcome to stay in the Underworld once your bargain with me expires. This is your home as long as you choose to stay, and once your time is officially up, the negotiated percentage that I take out of your wages will be halved.” His lips quirk. “But I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that half of Carver City would happily welcome you into their homes, too.”
Into their homes, and into their beds.
But not in a permanent way. I’ve been here long enough to watch them find their true loves, one by one. They might enjoy scening with me from time to time, but I’ll always be on the outside looking into those relationships. No invitation to their homes would be permanent. I’m not naive enough to believe otherwise. “Is that what you called me in here to say?”
“No.” He sits back, once again bathed in shadows. “Malone would like to contract you out for two weeks.”
“What?”
“Yes, it surprised me, too.” I can’t see his eyes, but I can feel him watching me closely. “I’m inclined to say no, but Malone doesn’t demand much and it runs the risk of alienating her. However, considering your history with her, it’s a terrible idea.”
Hades is the only one who knows who my mother really is. I don’t think he’s even told Meg or Hercules. Which means he’s the only one who can understand why I need to do this. “I accept.”
“Aurora.”
“Hades.” I can’t quite soften my tone into playfulness. I never talk back to Hades. Never. Partly because I owe him so much, and mostly because of the sheer dominance he exhibits without seeming to try. He’s got himself bottled up right now, but the man can send me to my knees with a single look. “This is why I came to you in the first place.”
“No, you came to me in the first place because you couldn’t stand the thought of pulling the plug on your mother.” His quiet words are merciless. “Your need for vengeance rose later.”
He’s not exactly wrong, but it stings all the same. “Then let me have my vengeance.”
“Malone will eat you up and spit you out. She will harm you.”
I shove to my feet. “There is nothing she’ll do that hasn’t already been done to me a hundred times over during my time here.” I like everything. Pain and humiliation and degradation. Soft words and gentle touches and kindness. It all gets me off.
It wasn’t like that the single time with Malone.
I shove the thought away. I was younger then. Greener. Still new enough to the BDSM scene that I didn’t know my limits as well as I do now. I didn’t know how to keep my emotions separate from the physical actions. I know better now.
Hades stands slowly. I don’t know how he manages it, but it feels like his power unfurls through the room.“I would have thought all these years would make you less reckless.”
The desire to apologize bubbles up inside me, but I shove it down. I am not weak, and I am not a fool. All those years ago, I came to the Underworld with two goals: to keep my mother alive and to get revenge. I’ve managed the first. Now it’s time for the second. “I’m not reckless.”
“You are the very definition of reckless.” He sighs. “But you’re an adult who knows her own mind. I can keep you from Malone now, but the moment the bargain is done, I suspect you’ll be taking that contract.”
I will. Now that she’s finally made a move on me, I refuse to miss this opportunity. “Better to let me do this while I’m still yours.”
He takes off his glasses and pinches the bridge of his nose. “I dislike you attempting to manipulate me, but you do have a point.”
I press my lips together. Pushing him now won’t guarantee victory, and it might just backfire. So I force myself still and wait while he thinks about it.
Finally, Hades shakes his head. “I’ll allow it.”
Relief makes me a little dizzy. There’s no guarantee that Malone’s offer would stand in another few weeks once I’m free of Hades’s bargain. I need this, and I need it now. “When do I start?”
“Tonight.”